Publisher's Summary

Pimsleur® equals success. Just one 30-minute lesson a day gets you speaking and understanding like no other program. Spanish Level 1 Lessons 11-15 builds on material taught in prior lessons. Each lesson provides 30 minutes of spoken language practice, with an introductory conversation and new vocabulary and structures. Detailed instructions enable you to understand and participate in the conversation. Each lesson contains practice for vocabulary introduced in previous lessons. The emphasis is on pronunciation and comprehension and on learning to speak Spanish.

What the Critics Say

"Pimsleur programs provide plenty of positive reinforcement that will keep learners on track, and we found that Pimsleur gave us more proficiency and confidence in speaking the new language than any of the other language programs we reviewed." (AudioFile magazine)

Would you consider the audio edition of Spanish Phase 1, Unit 11-15 to be better than the print version?

I'm putting my review here, for the first units for phase 1, even though I'm now on unit 23 because I wish someone had prepared me for what's to come. I sailed right through until later units when verb conjugation began. I was constantly tripped up but the verb "to be" and felt stupid. It was then I discovered through reading reviews for the later units of phase 1 that Pimsleur has created written supplements that Audible doesn't provide. You only get this material if you buy the lessons from Pimsleur's site. The PDF provided by Audible is merely an explanation of the Pimsleur learning method and is not specific to the course. Reading about the missing materials, I realized I needed to see written explanations before I could understand the finer points of verb conjugation. Luckily, this information is readily available on the internet, and I after searching out explanations there I was able to progress. Even found a site that has English/Spanish flashcards. It could be that doing web searches for targeted questions is more effective than passively printing out study guides. I agree with Pimsleur that hearing the spoken language is the best way to learn. After all, that's the way most of us learn how to speak our first language, before we know how to read. By listening and repeating what you hear, we eventually will gain an intuitive sense of what sounds right in phrasing and grammar.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Spanish phase 2 in this series.

What does the narrator bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Yes. Hearing the spoken language is the only way to learn to speak it properly.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No.

Any additional comments?

Despite the missing written materials, I recommend buying the course through Audible. It's well worth the points because if you stick with it you will truly learn to speak Spanish. You can work around not having the supplements by doing web searches for answers to your questions as you go.

This book emphasizes the mastery of language as used in every day interaction. After completing only the first two books in the series, I feel confident with my pronunciations as I try my skills on native Spanish speakers. It is a totally different ball game from attempting to learn by reading. I liked the way new words are introduced in the context of a conversation. I also find repeating previously learnt words and phrases, and bringing them into context as I advance through the lessons very helpful to enhance recall.

I have been working my way through each lesson. The first five were pretty easy to get through. The second phase took me a little longer. This phase took almost two weeks to get through. They start to put a lot of new words in as you get through it. Stick to it. I just keep doing each lesson over each day until I feel I got it. The next day, I start the next one.

I really enjoy the creative way these courses are designed - with previously-learned phrases popping up every now and again like familiar faces among the interesting new 'strangers' .. And the quirky humor in the situations devised. Big respect for the skill and creativity that goes into the making of these.

I love these lessons so much!! The pace is wonderful and the repetition helps to stick the language. The ONLY thing I would critique is some of the content in conversations.. maybe could use some more modern everyday convos that one would use during a typical day